CALIFORNIA LOOKING TO KILL OFF
GAS-POWERED VEHICLES
T
he State of California's love
affair with the internal com-
bustion engine looks like it's on
borrowed time, as state officials
are currently looking at ways
to achieve long-term air quality
goals.
According to a report pub-
lished on Bloomberg (and
Asphalt and Rubber), Califor-
nia has set a goal of reducing
carbon dioxide emissions by 80
percent of 1990 levels by 2050,
and part of that goal setting
would most likely see a ban of
sales of gasoline-powered cars,
trucks and motorcycles.
"To reach the ambitious levels
of reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions, we have to pretty
much replace all combustion
with some form of renewable
energy by 2040 or 2050,"
California Air Resources Board
Chairman, Mary Nichols, told
Bloomberg. "We're looking at
that as a method of moving this
discussion forward."
The move from California falls
into line with what is currently
happening in Europe—the Neth-
erlands is aiming to ban the sale
of petrol-powered vehicles by
2020, Germany will have a gas-
free future by 2030, Scotland
will fall into line by 2032 and
France and the UK set goals of
2040.
Nichols has said the Governor
of California, Jerry Brown, wants
to see California become a glob-
al player after China recently
IN
THE
WIND
P30
Electric vehicles are coming, so get used to it.
